Extreme007

20 hours ago, Steve Clay said:

There is a 127 mak on astro buy and sell for £100.

Thanks Steve. Will have a look.

19 hours ago, George Gearless said:

Not a problem Extreme.

If the moon and planets are your main targets, a Mak is definitely the way to go. A 10mm and a 20mm eyepiece will give you a good range. You may already have those for your reflector.

Heres a small video I took with my Mak127 on my AZ-GTI mount last year. It's nothing fancy and was only recorded for my own amusement. No post-processing what so ever. It's just uploaded as it was on the SD card. But it'll give you an idea of what to expect. Mucking about with my Mak.

If you want to get into deep sky targets such as nebulae photography, I'd say a refractor is your best bet. But being successful in this endeavor places great demands on your mount and a lot of other equipment. Without being too assertive, I sense that a Mak would be the right way to go for you at this stage Besides, no one is stopping you from getting a refractor as well later on, right? 😁

But can you take a picture of a nebulae with a Mak 127 and a beginners AZ- goto mount? Well, you CAN do it. But the result is not impressive. This picture was taken with my Mak127 and my AZ-Goto GTI mount and an old Nikon DSLR. It's grimy, poorly detailed, the colours are off....but I was (and still am) terribly pleased with it! Mainly because most people will tell you that you can't take pictures of nebulae with a Mak. Of all the pictures I've taken, this is the one I remember best. Your reflector will likely outperform the Mak for this type of target by a long shot.

 

One other small point in favor or the Mak that I'd like to point out is that they are notoriously sturdy and virtually maintenance free. This is a scope that you can literally throw in your backpack with your mount and go on your bike to a dark area for hours of enjoyable viewing (I'm not just saying this. I've done it). And the scope won't be worse for wear on that account. 

My vote is for the Mak.

George.

 

 

Thanks George for your very comprehensive response. I'm convinced now this is my next step for my needs. And yes you are right I can make further purchases down the line 😃!:mustn't tell the wife! As it's going to happen. 

Would like a good goto mount eventually the eq6 is really appealing and I think would future proof my needs but that is some way off for me and abilities at this time. One small step....... 😎 no point going to far too soon.

Nice pic btw. Really impressive without goto. I'm not at the pic stage just yet still very much visual and finding my way around.

Anyway happy days off to see if the used Mak127 is still available. 

Thanks again for your time and advice much appreciated. 

4 hours ago, Paz said:

A sky watcher Mak will do magnifications from about 47x and upwards, and fields of view up to about 1 degree.

Any target (dso, lunar, solar, double stars, etc) where you need no less than 47x magnification and no more than 1 degree field of view the Maksutov is going to work very well.

No other scope of similar aperture will make a dso look any brighter for the same magnification.

The scope of the same aperture that is most commonly described as being capable of beating a maksutov for clarity of views in its range of operation would be a high quality refractor which is going to be very expensive, or very long, or both.

Reasons why other scopes with shorter focal lengths are described as  good for dso's is because they can go down to lower magnificatikns that are more commonly used with dso's, sometimes because objects are large, sometimes because lower magnifications  condense a target and make it easier to pick out, and sometimes because it's nice to frame a target rather than be zoomed right in on it.

If you consider the size of the targets you look at, including dso's, you can estimate how many of them a maksutov could not do - it probably wouldn't be a long list.

For completeness maksutovs do take longer to cool down than reflectors and refractors, without a dew shield the front can dew up, and you may notice a bit of mirror shift at high magnifications.

Cool down isn't such an issue if you are looking at a 127mm scope, dewing can be solved with a shield, and mirror shift isn't a flaw, its just a feature of the design.

Thanks Paz for the the comprehensive advice. Yours and others are convincing me that this scope would meet my needs currently without breaking the bank. Just going to put it all together before I commit to a purchase. Spotted a good used deal that I may investigate.

Thanks again

3 hours ago, Steve Clay said:

I have a SW 127 Mak on the AZGTI. its extremely portable and provides crisp clear views (when cooled) 

I'm just about to hit the buy button on a 130 PDS to compliment my Mak as it to will go onto the AZGTI albeit at the upper limit.

If you look on astro tools or stellarium you can do some easy FOV simulation to see what you can get into the Mak fov.

Iv'e added a RACI finder to mine to make it easier to find targets without using the goto functions. 

Steve

Thanks for the advice Steve.

Really helping me make my decision that this is the logical next step for me. I will have a look at the FOV tool as well. Think im convinced this is my next purchase as it gives me most of what i need at this time size and portability being key. Cheers.

12 hours ago, Alan64 said:

A Maksutov would indeed complement the 130P-DS, as one is the "antithesis" of the other.  The full range of magnifications would then be covered with the two: the 130P-DS for low to low-medium power observing, the Maksutov for medium-to-high powers, and both on the one mount, interchangeably.

I have my 127mm Maksutov on a manual alt-azimuth, and I have no trouble observing with it...

...motioning it to this object and that.  It needs a good finder.  If a lens-type, an 8x50 at minimum, and perhaps with a right-angled eyepiece; or, a reliable red-dot finder.

The secondary-mirror of a Gregorian or "spot" Maksutov, like the Sky-Watcher and others, including my own there, is fixed, non-adjustable.  It's only the primary-mirror that's adjustable, and rarely does it require same.

Regardless of the type of telescope, when travelling the telescope should be protected, cushioned with padding or other.

Thanks Alan for the advice. Appreciate this is not an exact science but for what I require at this time sounds like I'm going in the right direction for my needs. I've spotted a quite new second hand Mak127 so I may just take the plunge and save few pennies at the same time. And as you say it should compliment my current set up without breaking the bank.

Thanks again.

16 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

According to TS website Skywatcher Mak127 is listed at 3.2Kg OTA weight.

I would be surprised that it is more than a few Kg as Skywatcher is selling that ota with AZGti mount - which has 5Kg load capacity.

For planets and the moon, detail is related to size of aperture (max magnification when atmosphere allows), so Mak127 will be in the same league as 130PDS and is suitable replacement.

Step up from this would be Celestron C6 - still very light, OTA being 3.7 Kg, but it costs considerably more.

Thanks. I wanted the MAK to compliment my 130pds. Your points re the collimation of the MAK and weight were a big plus for my potential selection.

Not sure if I'm talking myself in or out of the need for one now. My Newt is just stationary at home so minimal collimation if at all required. I just put it out and it's good to go. And it is a great first scope.   I just thought rightly or wrongly a MAK would be more forgiving being transported. Whilst also giving me those good sharp high mag views of planets and moon etc.

Hmmmmm. 

1 hour ago, rotatux said:

As always it depends on your choices of desired targets and interpretation of "portability":

* Do you want deep-sky objects ? moon / planetary ? globulars ? A MAK would be good for moon, planetary and globulars, but rather not deep-sky (at least visually). A short-focal-ratio refractor or reflector (such as your 130PDS) would be better for deep-sky.

* On which criteria do you judge your current setup not portable enough ? Is it size : a Mak or small frac would be shorter, at the expense of luminosity; Is it weight : the 130PDS is ~4 kg and my Celestron MAK 127 is ~7 kg, so if you want lighter it must be a smaller MAK (such as 90/1250), a medium fast wide-angle refractor, or a long narrow refractor.

* You want to keep your current mount : fine, a manual alt-az is probably the lightest mount your could find, except for table-top dobson or EQ(1) mounts. Depending on your choice of instrument (i.e. if it's enough small and lighweight), you could also examine the possibility of solid tripod + small dobson (such as orion sky scanner series).

Thanks for your advice. I currently view planets and the moon. As a relative novice the moon is easy to find even for me. And i am fascinated by it. I thought the MAK was going to be more portable and give me better sharper visual views of lunar detail due to the increased focal length. And also a bit easier to put in car and transport to more remote areas. I didn't think the weight was 7kg I thought I'd read 5kg but could be wrong.

I do love my 130pds but the deep space stuff is just beyond me at this point as can't really locate anything without a goto. I do want to work upto AP eventually but think I am some way off that. So no intention of dumping the 130pds think it will be excellent on that goto mount when the time comes. And it is a great scope when set up at home so yes I do agree it's a wonderful piece of kit. 

From that not sure if I've talked myself out or into A MAK haha. Thanks for your advice and taking time to reply. Much appreciated.

On 15/05/2019 at 16:34, George Gearless said:

Hey guys.

I am in the very fortunate positon to be able to 'burn' €670 that I received as a gift, and I want to upgrade my 127 Mak to either the Skywatcher 150 or the Skywatcher 180. 

 

Hi George

Sorry this is more of a question than answer to your post. Sorry. Hope you don't mind! I read this post with interest.

I am considering a SW MAK 127 as a more portable smaller option from my current SW newt. Grateful for your views as a current user and owner. I'm just after general observing lunar and planets etc at this time. Maybe stick slr on for general photos etc nothing too adventurous. 

I've read good reviews about the scope but can't decide between MAK or Refractor. But really portability with good viewability is what I'm after.

Any thoughts gratefully received. Many thanks.

Hi

Looking for some advice on a portable set up that i can put in car and move/transport easily for general all round viewing. Currently have a SW130pds on AZ4 mount which is a great scope given I'm a new novice over last 6 months, now looking for something bit smaller that can more easily transport. Been looking at SW refractors evostar and star travel but cannot decide which is best or difference.  Then I saw the MAK 127 which seems to get good reviews and looks v portable in size albeit bit weighty. Also seen a good value used one with eq3 mount. The AZ5 deluxe mount also looks good but would be happy with my current steel AZ4 which is v stable. At some point I want a higher spec goto mount so don't really want to buy another mount at this time. Save that investment for later.

Anyway any advice gratefully received MAK or refractor? Or neither.

Thanks for reading.